It all began with an explosion
by ThyrNecris
Summary: What if our pinkhaired tsundere didn't summon a teenaged doormat boy... what if she managed to summon an experienced soldier, who might help her out with her biggest problem, in a way no one would have expected? What if 'Void Magic' was actually something different alltogether? Rating set to M for language and future additions. Read and review, please.
1. Zoom and Boom

Introduction

Disclaimer: This is a non profit work of fiction, I do not own the Familiar of Zero property. Lawsuit won't bring up anything worthwhile.

Well, how to start...

I had something like this in mind for a while, after reading tons of FoZ fanfics and watching the various seasons of the anime. What if our favorite Pinkette, instead of summoning her usual doormat Japanese teenager, summoned an adult soldier, old enough to be her father (if he had 'started' early, that is), from a setting that was an alternate interpretation of Earth, with a side of 'The general population of Earth does not know of the advanced technology'.

While I will write the first chapter with a male OC, I might be able to be persuaded to rewrite the whole thing to a female OC. There will, in either case, be romantic/erotic parts in the story, but there won't be any '30-year-old on 17-year-old' action. And if my OC is involved in any case, he (or, when I get talked into a gender shifting rewrite, she) will only get female company. While I am talented at writing smut, I will also not be overly explicit there, the story rating is mainly due to language used.

While the story might have Science Fiction heavy chapters, a few general guidelines are going to be explained and set here:

The 'Earth Tech' found, with two exceptions, is still the WW2 grade gear from FoZ canon. You will see the exceptions when they show up.

My alternate Earth has no problems with genetic manipulation, so I used this to slip the often found 'humans using their whole brain potential develop psionic power' theme in. However, Magic is still going to exist, and it will coexist with Psionics, in fact, I think I got a nice way to weave both systems together. Also, Psionics will have downsides, especially when defending against magic, as the power level rises.

There will be no massive influx of new technology, due to the lack of minerals/metals/ores not found in Halkgenia. Some hack-jobs might be possible here and there, but it would at most be for patching stuff up or creating under-performing clones. Classic case of 'Unobtainium'.

While my alternate Earth uses Nanotechnology, and everyone is actually infused with nanites, for some nice benefits, and those infused with it can use it for fine crafting or aforementioned benefits, I decided that a new infusion of a person has to be done in a medical bay with a massive computer mainframe on hand, which will NOT show up due to the previous point.

Finally, this is my first Fanfic, ever. And English isn't my native language, at all.

If asked for it, I would be willing to start adding little 'Tech Notes' at the end of each chapter, explaining a bit about the technologies introduced/used, and I will definitely do the same about psionic abilities, when I can't find a way to weave an explanation into the story itself.

Read and review please, and if you would prefer a female OC, write a reason why, please. 'Girl on Girl is hot!' is not a valid reason, by the way, while I agree with that.

It all began with an Explosion

For Fleet Commander Nathan Dunegan, the day couldn't be worse. It began with a routine patrol of a few sectors, housing only a handful of stars, on the edge of the galactic disc. While capable of finishing it in a few hours, even when just using their normal Hyperdrives, he wanted it over and done, since his battle group was scheduled for a return trip to their home base, the orbital and planetary yards of Thorstadt, an ice planet near the core of the Andromeda Galaxy, for maintainance and resupply. So he commanded each of his ships to depart to a different system, to take in some sensor scans, and relay the information back to the flagship.

But as if fate hated him, just as he was about to give the order to prepare the HyperJet Drives for an all-out recall order at maximum speed, the Communications officer reported a planetary emergency call. An independent garden world, a few sectors corewards of the Perseus Galaxy where they currently were operating, had reported a group of unidentified objects entering their solar system, which 'slowly', made their way towards the only planet in the system, a world that could best be described as a single-biome jungle planet.

Having no real other choice, given the fact that he was commanding the flagship, and the objects only looked small on the sent over sensor telemetry, he ordered an intercept course, and proceeded down to the flight deck, mumbling about taking out his frustration about the cut short downtime at Thorstadt by going out in his fighter and shooting some skeet.

And this is where it all turned from bad to worse.

For one, as soon as the Claymore, Type Ship of the Claymore Class of Battlecruiser entered the target system with maximum HyperJet Factor, the misty contrail of alternate dimensions and warped physics gave away their position. While they now could get some needed intelligence on the objects, which turned out to be some kind of ultra-long ranged cruise missile, the ships' appearance seemed to have triggered some emergency protocol in the weapons' control systems, causing them to speed up their approach, thus making any long range interception moot – and which happened to place them between the planet and the Claymore. This meant that long range bombardment with the battlecruiser's primary or even spinal weaponry would, in case of a miss, rip country sized holes into the planet, which in turn meant that interception had to be done with the fighter wings that were stationed on the Claymore.

"Flight Deck, this is Alpha Wolf, Skulltaker Wolfpack, requesting permission to launch and intercept those bastards that ruined our vacation." Nathan radioed in, as he sat in a Specter class fighter, fitted for interception. Moments later, as the clearance came, he and his eight wingmen got catapulted out of the flight bay, one by one, by the ships' computer, and, as soon as they got control over his fighter, he kicked in what could be described as Afterburners, propelling him towards the rapidly heading off guided munitions.

After what appeared like an eternity, as the weapons closed in on the planet, they finally got in range, the order to break and attack already given before launch, so that no time was wasted, the same had also been done in the fighter selection, which meant that the whole group of nine Specters had launched without missiles.

As, slowly, at long range, only possible due to the pilots utilizing their HUD, they destroyed one of the objects after another, they noticed a variety of payloads – old-fashioned nuclear warheads, Antimatter warheads, even a few biotechnological warheads. As the explosions bloomed, indicating yet another destroyed weapon, a sudden message from the Claymore's bridge came in.

„Fleet Commander, the cruise missiles are going to enter the atmosphere in 30 seconds, even if we intercept them after that moment, the payload is going to spread out and contaminate the planet!"

Seeing that he was closest to the last group, Nathan sent back: "Roger, I'm going in, I'm the closest. If I use up my emergency reaction mass, I might be able to catch the last group, there's only three of them left. Dunegan out." Activating the emergency reserve, his fighter jumped forward, the heavy ion thrusters in the back causing him to close in fast, while he peppered the general area of the remaining warheads with his particle cannons. The first going up in a flash of a yellowish-green mist, which froze to flakes in the relative cold of space indicated a biological payload, which would not cause harm to the fighter, the second warhead went up in a flash, followed by a wave of hard radiation, as a nuclear warhead detonated, the fighters' shielding getting dented, but not dropping, when a stray shot detonated the last warhead, which went up in an even brighter, white flash, the massive shock wave of a Matter/Antimatter annihilation shaking the fighter, shredding the weakened shields and causing the fighters' systems to fail, but not kill it.

"Claymore, this is Dunegan, I got them – but they also got me. Systems are fried, tumbling towards the planet, I'm going to try and get as deep into the atmosphere as possible before I eject, send a shuttle to fetch me, If you can." Preparing for the crash landing, he aimed for an area where he could pull off a somewhat controlled landing, or at least where a shuttle could pick him up.

"I beg of you..." "Claymore, did you hear something? Or am I going crazy here?" "My slave who lives somewhere in the universe!" "Yeah, slave my ass. Get lost, I'm busy here!" "Oh sacred, beautiful and strong familiar spirit!" "Seems like you should stay away from spirits there, pal." "I desire and here I plead from my heart! Answer to my guidance!"

Just as Nathan heard those words, out of nowhere, his whole control panel did light up like a Christmas tree – red lights and indicators everywhere. "Goddamn it, looks like I have to improvise, I hope this works out. PSION AEGIS!" Removing his right hand from the control orb on the right side of his pilot seat, a strange gauntlet came into view. While Nathan was, head to toe, clad in an armor suit, his hands seemed massively under-protected, with just bracers and wrappings, which also seemed to not just be tied to themselves, but also going in and out of his otherwise bare flesh. As he spoke out the last two words, clenching his fist, it began to glow in a white-blue light, before his body was wrapped into what seemed like an armor of pure energy, while he used his left hand to eject from his fighter, moments before the already unstable plasma reactor on the now tumbling wreck detonated, the earlier than expected explosion hitting him fully – with only a one by one burning up cloud of wreckage remaining, going down like shooting stars.

(Meanwhile, somewhere else)

Louise stood there in the courtyard, head hanging down. Not even an explosion this time! And it certainly didn't help that her classmates already started to mock her. Again. Only that this time, her failure meant that she would be expelled and sent home, having failed to prove that she is a proper mage, as one would expect from the daughter of the de la Vallière family. Looking up to the elderly man supervising the group of teenagers, she whispered, despair in her voice. "Professor Colbert, could I try, just one more time?"

"Sorry, Miss Vallière, you already tried four times, and it is getting late. It saddens me, but the Academy will have no other choice than to exp- " Just as Colbert wanted to tell her the very words she feared to hear, an explosion was heard, like far away – and above them. Looking to the sky, for a few moments, nothing was visible, until a slight glow appeared in the sky, getting closer and closer to the ground, a glow which turned out to be a quite massive fireball. Had any of the observers had a magnifying glass on hand, they would have been able to see a person, tumbling down from the sky at a high speed, getting faster and faster.

"Everyone, take cover!" One of Louise's classmates yelled, causing the young mages to scatter and hide, bare moments before the fireball hit the ground in front of the pink-haired girl, the object inside striking the ground, leaving a small crater. As the dust and smoke settled, Colbert took a step towards the crater, his staff held out protectively in front of Louise, taking a look at what has fallen from the skies.

"Hmm...it appears to be a man, and he fell down in front of you, after what seemed to be one of your usual ….. mishaps. It would seem that, as unlikely as it is, even unheard of, that this man is your familiar. Would you finish the ritual, please?"

Blushing, Louise stepped closer to the still seemingly unconscious man, who suddenly stirred – a motion which caused the scorched suit which looked like armor to crumble to ash, revealing his mostly nude form to everyone, the only modesty still left coming from what seemed to be an under-suit, stained with soot. Just as the prone man turns himself to his back, with a harrumph, Colbert handed him his cloak, allowing him some means of covering himself, but this moment was already enough to cause a certain dark skinned redhead to lick her lips and let out a small, needy moan.

Just as he had turned around, wiping the soot and ash from his eyes, the man looks around, finding himself in a castle's courtyard, a few teenagers in what seemed to be school uniforms crawling out of various hiding spots, a little zoo of small animals like cats, birds, toads but also what seems to be a large, red lizard hiding along with the kids.

"Wait, wait, what? Ritual? What are you, some kind of Harry Potter Role-player?" His eyes darting back to the oversized lizard, his gaze suddenly locked onto an even larger, blue lizard. "OK, someone, pinch me, I'm going crazy, I'm seeing dragons..." Saying this, he closes his eyes, pinches his arm, and opens them again – only for the large, blue-scaled dragon to remain where it was only moments before.

"Oh, you must be fucking KIDDING me..."

Lexicanum Technicae

Claymore Class Battlecruiser

A new class of Battlecruiser developed by EarthForce, completely designed around newest technological advances in power generation, shielding and especially armor technologies, it has the speed of a cruiser, the weaponry of a battleship, and the defense systems are on par with older generations of battleships. Only the Claymore, the Type ship of the class, is currently in service.

Hyperdrive

An older, but proven method of Faster-Than-Light travel, this drive system opens a tunnel from point to point in space, creating a tunnel in which the laws of physics are largely suspended. While not instantaneous, it allows distances of a few dozen lightyears to be crossed in only hours.

HyperJet

Improved and new FTL propulsion system, developed and used by EarthForce. Instead of tunneling, this system more or less rips a hole in reality, right in front of the ship, fully suspending the laws of physics. Anything is possible inside the rift, but it isn't open for a long time, the fabric of time and space repairing itself, which causes strange contrails behind the ship, often millions of kilometers long, before reality is capable of welding itself shut again. When configured for long-range transfer, given a large enough power input from the ship's main reactors, it allows speeds of 50 billion lightyears – per hour.

Specter Multirole Space Fighter

EarthForce's most recent type of space fighter. Based on the same technologies as the Claymore class, just on a smaller scale and thus 1 year earlier implemented, it is capable of fulfilling the 4 most important roles in space combat, just by rerouting power around between systems, but mostly by changing the content of the internal payload bay, which can hold missile racks, unguided bombs, super-heavy Anti-Ship torpedoes or, for interception, additional reaction mass for the propulsion systems.

Lexicanum Psionica

PSION AEGIS

A basic psionic invocation, which, while needing a conscious activation trigger by calling out the invocation's name (and thus, through training, firing the appropriate neural triggers in the brain and nervous system) is active until it is dropped with a single, purely mental trigger again. It only surrounds the body closely, like a second skin, so it does not protect armor that is worn. However, if used in combination with heat shielding or an EarthForce - grade suit of Armor, it is enough to protect someone from fatal impacts or significant amounts of heat, however, the suit or heat-shield is destroyed during this process.

Strange Gauntlets/Bracers

classified, clearance pending


	2. Noblesse Oblige

Authors Notes:

A big thank you to the guest reviewer posting under the name of "Helpful Hand".

As I said, I am not a native English speaker, so my grammar might suck, and while the story will not get significant rewrites, I reserve the right to go back once I have the general direction of the story down (I have a few bits in mind, I just need to weave them together), for some rephrasing or reorganizing.

Once more, this will not be a 'Suddenly, Cyborgs, Space Cruisers and Laser-beams from Tristain' story. While the first information about my OC sounds like 'overpowered', I have some ideas to balance him out. In fact, I think I will surprise quite a few people, down the line.

My updates right now will be semi-regular, but later down the line, I will most likely need longer breaks, especially since I only have bad internet at the moment, so I am limited to Wikipedia-grade episode summaries of the episodes.

Also, to add:

"speech"

'thoughts'

"Miss Vallière, please finish the ritual and bind your familiar." Colbert stated calmly as he kept his staff pointed at the still prone man, who now had wrapped himself up in the cloak. "B-But Professor Colbert, I can't seriously k-k-kiss that peasant!" Louise stuttered while blushing deeply.

"Hey, who do you call peasant!" Sounding somewhat offended, the man shouted, while slowly getting up on his feet again, just as the still blushing girl walked up to him, raising her wand. "My name is Louise Francoise Le Blanc De La Vallière. Pentagon of the five elemental powers, bless this creature and make it my familiar!" Touching his forehead with her wand, she then leaned in to kiss the same spot, just in the moment he finally moved to stand up fully, her lips not hitting his forehead, but right on his lips.

Just in this moment, he dropped down into a crouch again, while Louise backed away, her face now a burning, bright red. "Th-that was my first kiss, you PEASANT!" She shouted at him. However, instead of an answer, the once more crouching man looked up at her, his face showing a feral snarl, eyes filled with cold determination, while smoke rose up from the back of his left hand, the smell of slowly burning flesh filling the courtyard.

'What the hell is going on?' He asked himself as he felt his mind getting assaulted by some strange urge to kneel and pledge his eternal servitude to the Pinkette, just when the girls' pink, glistening lips met his. 'Strawberry...strange to think of that now...no...I can't give in, come on, Nathan, you have been under worse effects...concentrate, for fuck's sake!' In this moment, Nathan closed his eyes, his fingers digging into the ground, before clenching into fists, while committing to his internal battle, the smell of burning flesh intensifying and getting joined by the sound of sizzling skin and tissue.

'I am Fleet Commander Nathan Dunegan, Service Code Ten-Break-Alpha-Zero-Zero-Strike. You have no power over me. My mind is a fortress, the gates are barred. You can not enter.' Reciting these lines in his mind, over and over, he slowly fought off the binding, while still unmoving, except his clenched fists. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes, looking into Louise's eyes, the smell and sound of his burning flesh slowly subsiding.

"So...you are Louise Francoise Le Blanc De La Vallière, huh? Fleet Commander Nathan Dunegan, EarthForce High Command, Commanding Officer on the Battlecruiser Claymore, Supreme Officer of the Charybdis Battlegroup. Now, can someone explain to me how I ended up in this Harry Potter Role-play Group?"

Just as Louise wanted to put the insolent peasant in his place, a soft giggle could be heard, which slowly turned into a laughter. "Bwahahaha, Louise, this is hilarious, given your claims and boasts yesterday. Truly a...magnificent familiar you summoned." Turning his head towards the voice, Nathan spotted a tall, red-haired girl, her skin tanned, with enormous breasts that nearly spilled out of her seemingly too small blouse. As she noticed his eyes running up and down her body, taking in her curves and not making any attempts to hide it, she gave him a smirk, licking her lips.

"Miss Zerbst, please abstain from taunting Miss Vallière. Everyone, we are done here. Move back to your rooms, I suggest you start to familiarize with your newly summoned familiars. Miss Vallière, it seems that, while unusual, the Contract Familiar spell seems to have worked, even when normally, the Familiar Runes aren't supposed to be a physical branding. You are to return to your room, too."

As Colbert dismissed his students, they turned towards the towers, slowly rising up into the sky with their familiars as they levitated back up to their rooms. "So, where is your room? Won't you make us float up to the window, too?" Nathan asked the still furious girl in front of him. Answering him with a mumble, he looked at her once more. "No? Fine. Seems like we have to walk then. By the way, do you know where I can scrub myself down and get some clothes? Mine had an accident, and I think my bodysuit is a bit inappropriate, given the fact that it is more or less outlining everything. And I believe your... Professor... wants his cloak back at some point."

Louise, speechless at her familiar's lack of respect of her status as a noble, no, as a VALLIÈRE, could only stare and stand in shock, not helped by the fact that suddenly, the filthy peasant that now seems to be her familiar grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes.

"Professor... Colbert, I believe? Might you be able to direct me towards Louise's room? She seems to be a bit...gone right now." Turning around towards the what seemed to be concerned familiar, Colbert directed Nathan to Louise's room, who took off with his still shocked and wide eyed burden.

A few minutes later, in Louise's room, Nathan placed the girl on her bed, before closing the door, sliding the small, wooden bar over to block it off.

"So, now that we are alone, I would like some answers. Where am I, what did you guys down there mean by ritual or binding, and how the hell did I get here?"

Offended and getting back to her senses, Louise breathed in, finally snapping. "You filthy peasant! You should be glad that you have been bound to me as a familiar!" Standing up, she started to remove her dirt and soot stained clothes, throwing them into a basket at the side, Nathan standing in the room, his gaze averted from the small, childlike girl as she stripped down while spewing some speech about an Academy, Nobles, Magic and, what made his ears peek up, the word 'enslave' as she mentioned the binding.

"STOP. Now. You have been rambling on for long enough now, now it is my turn to talk. One - Your little binding...spell? Forget it. I'm not sure, but I doubt that this is supposed to be like this." Stating the last words, he lifted his left hand, the back of it towards Louise, a horrible mess of seeping, burnt flesh hinting at some kind of runes on it.

"Two - I have you know that after your kiss, something tried to influence my mind, something about absolute obedience and loyalty. You can forget about that. I have been hit with stronger stuff, and not given in. So I am pretty sure that I am NOT your familiar." The young noble, now seriously irritated, but at the same time close to tears, grabbed her wand, pointing it towards Nathan, shouting loudly. "Insolent peasant! Fireball!" Waving her wand, the magic flew out, detonating in one of her now widely known explosions, obscuring the view of Nathan for a few seconds before dissipating, showing him still standing there, no worse off than before, as if never having been hit.

"Three – I have no idea what is going on with that stuff you call magic – however, if that, right now, was your best shot, don't bother anymore."

Being insulted again, not just by her classmates, but also by the very person seen as her familiar by them, Louise broke down. She sat down on her bed, clad in only a frilly nightshirt, her head hanging low, tears starting to flow. "So...I am a Zero after all..."

Looking at her, Nathan continued. "Hey, wait a moment there, stop crying a river. Is that...Familiar thing really such a big deal? I mean, if I got it right, that little zoo back in the courtyard...frogs, rats or owls aren't exactly impressive for fighting or as protectors. Sure, those large lizards, or that oversized mole, they might have some worth there..."

"Having a Familiar is the definite sign that a noble is a mage. Without a Familiar, I am...nothing. And if you tell them that you aren't bound to me...I will get expelled, and you will probably be thrown into the nearest dungeon or labor camp."

"So, with the others being convinced that you have bound me, as long as I have those runes, and pretend to be your Familiar, you will not lose face? If so, let us make a deal. As long as it is sensible, I will pretend to be your Familiar. But don't expect me to bow down and do every little bit for you. Also, if you try something like that binding spell or that little display of fireworks earlier, you will regret it. However, I want something in return. For one, you will see to it that I get a bed that is not inside your room. I won't mind a place to sleep with the servants that I saw here and there. Two, you will let me accompany you to your classes, at least to those about magic theory, so that I get up to date on that stuff, so that I know what to expect when I need to protect you. Deal?"

Between slight sobs, Louise returned. "I will see what I can do. I wouldn't let you sleep in my room when you aren't bound to me anywa-" Finally realizing that she wasn't more or less naked beside her familiar, but beside a man, she screamed, her cheeks flushed. "Get out, you pervert! OUT!" Grinning, Nathan opened the door, managing to close it just as a few pillows slammed into it.

Whistling, he started to walk down the hallways again, to the ground floor, when he heard voices. His training taking over, he ducked down into the shadows, noticing a blonde haired pretty-boy, who apparently tried to woo a young brunette.

"...I cannot tell a lie to your beautiful eyes, Katie..." Hearing that cliched line, Nathan shook his head, continuing his way down the hallways, still just wrapped into the cloak, when he ran into a maid.

"Oh, sorry...say, Miss..." "Siesta, Mister..." "Dunegan, Nathan Dunegan. But call me Nathan. So, Miss Siesta...is there some place where I could get some water, to scrub myself down, and maybe you know someone I could borrow some clothes from?" "Ah, you must be that human that Miss Vallière summoned. Please, come with me, maybe some of the staff might be able to help you out for a few days, until your mistress is able to provide for you."

Following her, Nathan quickly made his way to the servant quarters, where he got a hand on a bucket of ice-cold water and a piece of foul smelling soap, which he used to scrub off the soot. Meanwhile, Siesta peeked around the corner, gazing at him as she put down a pile of clothes she had asked the manservants for, before knocking on the wooden doorframe, her cheeks glowing with a soft pink.

"N-Nathan, I put down some clothes beside the door. And if you had asked, I would have been able to get some hot water for you, too."

"Nah, this is fine. If I now find a place to sleep tonight, until Louise can set up something...because I sure as hell won't share a room with her."

Blushing furiously now, a short daydream of one of the sappy romance novels she read in the little bit of free time she could catch, she stuttered. "Y-you can sleep with me-" Cutting off her own words, an embarrassed squeal escaping her mouth, she stormed off, causing Nathan to just roll his eyes. "Goddamn it, I HATE teenaged brats..."

The next morning, breakfast, the morning hours, and lunch time passed without anything out of the ordinary happening. Between the meals, Louise and Nathan had sat down once more in her room, with Nathan reminding her of the little deal they struck the night before, and him explaining to her that he doesn't need to visit any healer for his hand, it would heal on its own – but this would mean that, in time, the runes might disappear. Then, as the afternoon came, Louise having wandered off to take care of his accommodations and to send off some errant boy to buy some simple man's clothes for her familiar, Nathan once more wandered around, familiarizing himself with the academy grounds, before he spotted a certain pretty-boy again. Curiously, he once more walked closer, listening in.

"Oh, Monmorency, I cannot tell-" Stepping out of his hiding place, a smug grin on his face, Nathan interrupted the scene. "- tell a lie to your beautiful eyes, you wanted to say? Boy, you need to work on your pickup lines. Also, a bit of advice from someone with some experience in the naval service – you have ONE girl in every port, not multiple girls in one."

"Guiiiiiche – what is that …..peasant talking about? Multiple girls?" Just as Monmorency asked, a certain brunette came around the corner. "Guiche, I have the souff-" Her words dieing on her lips, she only saw an enraged Monmorency slap Guiche across the face and storm off, prompting her to drop the basket, a few souffles dropping out.

"Katie, it isn't what it seems to be!" As Guiche barely got out, he got another slap from the brunette, while she also stormed off, crying.

"Hey, peasant! I am waiting for you to fall to your knees and ask for forgiveness, because it is your fault that two girls got their heart broken!" The blonde shouted, pointing the ornate, skillfully made bronze rose serving as his wand at Nathan. "Hey, I am talking to you, a commoner should turn towards a noble when spoken to!"

Finally, turning towards Guiche, Nathan answered. "My fault? Really? Don't you think the fact that you are a two-timing idiot and are stupid enough to get caught is to blame?"

Enraged and offended in his pride, the blonde boy grabbed one of the brown, light leather gloves hanging from his belt, throwing it at Nathan's face. "For that insult, I demand satisfaction! I will teach you a lesson, peasant! Such insolence, speaking up to a noble! I will see you, in half an hour, Vestri court."

Shrugging, Nathan turned around, walking off. "Fine. I'll go ahead, we'll meet there."


	3. RIP of the Valkyries

Authors Notes:

This chapter is out especially quickly after the last one, however, I just HAD to get this out of my mind.

Also, yes, ending chapters on cliffhangers is mean. That's why I am doing it. assumes Gendo pose

"speech"

'thought'

RIP of the Valkyries

As he stood in the middle of Vestri court, waiting for the blonde Pretty-boy who had challenged him to a duel, Nathan sighed. Looking around, he noticed that, slowly, more and more students assembled along the edge of the courtyard, some actually placing bets on the upcoming duel, others just gossiping about, in their words, that arrogant peasant that had to be put in his place.

At about ten minutes left, he heard a certain furious girl run towards him. "Nathan, what madness has made you accept a challenge from Guiche? He is a mage, he will surely kill you!"

Grinning, Nathan returned: "Louise, don't worry, everything is fine. He doesn't look that impressive, and if he really pulls some tricks out of his pockets, I'll come up with something when I need to."

"Nathan, I did not summon you so you can get yourself killed! Come, let us find Guiche so you can beg for his forgiveness, maybe he will call this off." With an icy gaze, Nathan looked at Louise, crouching down to whisper into her ear. "Louise, remember what would happen when I would reveal the truth. Also, an EarthForce Officer never backs down from a challenge he already accepted. Never forget that." Standing back up, he then walked over to the outer wall, leaning against it, humming to some melody in his mind.

Finally, right on time, Guiche entered the now packed court, a wide, arrogant grin on his face. "Ah, commoner, there you are. I would have expected that you ran off, like the coward you are."

Pushing himself off the wall, Nathan walked towards the young earth mage. "So, what are the terms of the duel? Any limitations in weaponry? To the death? First blood? Or First blood, with the addition that the one trying a killing move first forfeits his life?"

Slightly shaken, but outwardly still showing his arrogant posture, Guiche declared. "Weapons? Oh, no, I wouldn't lower myself to your level. I'm a mage, I wouldn't brawl like a peasant." Waving his rose shaped wand, a petal dropped down, rapidly transforming into a bronze statue depicting a female warrior. "My runic name is Guiche the Bronze, so my bronze Valkyrie will be your opponent, of course."

"Fine then." Nathan shook his head, his eyes on the golem, while keeping half an eye on Guiche.

'Interesting, not even the Nanoforges in our shipyards can transform something simple as a petal, no matter from what, into a significantly bigger object.' His gaze still focused onto the golem, not spotting any obvious weapons, spikes or edges that could be used by the golem, he finally saw the Valkyrie charge, the construct rushing towards him with one arm pulled back, ready to throw a punch against his head. Reacting quickly, instead of dodging away, he just moved his head aside, grabbing the construct in return, using its momentum to lift it off the ground, only to slam it forcefully down to the ground, before following up with a punch of his own, shattering the Valkyrie's head.

Witnessing the golem's demise, Guiche waved his wand once more , another petal dropping to the ground, and, as the previous one, transmuted it into a Valkyrie, this one wielding a long spear.

When he turned back to Guiche, spotting the spear held by the new Valkyrie, Nathan looked at the blonde noble. "Oh boy, seriously...first, you don't even fight yourself, and then, on top of that, you bring out weapons?" Shaking his head, he took a fighting stance again, his body sideways towards the golem. "Bring it on, pretty-boy."

Just as Nathan uttered those words, the Valkyrie charged once more, spear pointed towards him, only to have it grabbed and ripped out of its hands, before, a split second later, crumbling to the ground, impaled by its own weapon.

"Is that all you can do?" Nathan now grinned, the spear held in one hand, tip pointing towards the ground, the spear's shaft diagonally pointing upwards behind his back. "Come on, I'm just getting warm here."

A small sweat-drop running down his forehead, Guiche responded, his body mostly turned away from Nathan, only the arm pointed towards him. "Very well. Then, lets see how you deal with this!" Waving his wand once more, not one, three or five petals fell, but twenty, all turning into Valkyries wielding some kind of melee weapon.

Surprised by the sudden amount of conjured constructs, the spectators gasped, with Louise averting her gaze, not willing to watch the death of the man seen as her familiar. Among the crowd, a small, glasses wearing blue-haired girl looked up towards her taller, tanned companion, giving her a slight poke with her elbow before she stated, in a calm voice. "Strong. Held back." Hearing this, Kirche's eyes grew wide for a moment before she once more looked at the fight in the middle of the courtyard, her attention especially focused on the man facing the group of golems, her breath slightly erratic.

While he took in the now much more numerous opposition, Nathan smiled. "Finally, took the kiddie gloves off, Gramont?" "Commoner, I give you a last chance to save your hide, no one should say that Guiche de Gramont doesn't know mercy!"

Instead of a response, Nathan spread out his arms, his head hanging low, eyes closed while the Valkyries slowly spread out around him, not charging yet.

'Damn, has been a long time that I had to do this without that handy little computer in my armorsuit. So, how did that work again...close the eyes, concentrate...ah, yes. Mental Activation: Nanotech Boost System. Time Limit: Thirty Seconds. Reflex Boosters: Active. Battlecomputer: Active. Advanced Senses: Active.'

As he stood there, a small shiver ran through his body, easily noticeable by attentive spectators. Just as the shiver disappeared again, Nathan opened his eyes, his head lifted up. With a sudden leap, the spear pointed outwards as he held it with both hands, he charged towards the first Valkyrie, once more impaling it, but instead of pulling the spear out this time, he put his foot onto the fallen construct, snapping the tip off. With a twirl, he met the next two golems, two rapid whacks audible as he shattered their heads with the ends of the pole held in his hands.

'Three down, seventeen to go, 2 seconds used.' With a followup move, turning towards the Valkyries now piling in on him, he began to form a butterfly-like pattern with his staff, using the motion to both deflect and counter the attacks coming in, striking down another five enemies.

'Eight down, ten seconds taken.' Looking at the incoming opposition, he grabbed the staff at one end, performing a wide swipe, the force bowling over another six Valkyries, followed by a throw, another construct being caught in the chest, the momentum carrying it towards the wall, where the blunt spear pinned it down.

"Fourteen, Fifteen...lets finish this!" He shouted, charging the remaining five golems barehanded.

An Uppercut. "Sixteen." A turn, backhanding a halberd wielding Valkyrie. "Seventeen." Combining both hands, he swung at another, the impact turning the construct into a cloud of scrap metal. "Eighteen." Finally, only two Valkyries left in front of him, he decided to show off a bit, instead of striking once more, he turned, performing a roundhouse kick. "Aaand twenty." Having defeated all of his opponents, he grinned at Guiche, slowly walking towards the blonde boy, who, in a fit of panic, instantly waved his wand, now void of any further petals.

"Stand back, don't you dare to touch me, commoner!" The blonde screamed, terror on his face as Nathan grabbed him, lifting him upwards before pushing him against a pillar. With one fist pulled back, obviously aimed at the blonde's head, Nathan asked. "Do you yield?" Mumbling, the words stuck on his lips, Guiche tried to answer. "Y-yie..." "Do. YOU. YIELD?" Nathans eyes flashed with a blueish-white light for a second, his gaze now fully focused on the boy. "YIELD! I YIELD! VALLIÈRE, GET YOUR BEAST AWAY FROM ME!"

Hearing this, Nathan had his fist slam forward, hitting the stone beside the blonde's head, the material cracking, a few splinters cutting into Guiche's face, leaving shallow cuts, before dropping the boy unceremoniously to the ground and walking towards Louise, the students moving away from him.

"Louise, I think we are done here. I am going to the library, to get up to date on your world, unless you have something else to do for me."

Speechless and scared, the pinkette in question shook her head as her monstrous familiar walked off into the building, while a few of her classmates rushed towards Guiche, wondering if he had been harmed physically – the damage to his pride and self-esteem having been obvious to all.

Later that evening, as Nathan returned from the his studies, he encountered a familiar red lizard in the corridors. Leaning down, he patted the mystical reptile on its head. "Hey, aren't you the pet belonging to that...what was her name... Kathedrale...no...Kapelle...ah, wait, no, Kirche, that was it. Did you get lost?" Sensing his chance to fulfill his mistress' order, Flame pounced the man, the action ending in a loud noise, as if something heavy hit the ground.

Lasciviously lounging on her bed, her body only clad in a lacy, red camisole shirt and stockings of the same color and style, Kirche eagerly awaited the return of her familiar, when suddenly, the door to her candle-lit room opened rather forcefully.

"Good evening, Kirche. I would advise you to not send your fam-" Stopping mid-sentence as he spotted the salaciously dressed Germanian, Nathan froze, his arms still finishing the movement they had been on, flinging a knocked out salamander into the room and against the opposite wall, where it landed with a thud, before dropping to the ground again. Grinning, he turned towards the girl. "Waiting for someone?"

After a moment of shock, witnessing the flight of her familiar, followed by an uncomfortable twitch as it slammed into the wall, Kirche looked up, purring sensually. "Well, if that isn't the stranger who showed up from nowhere, and who wiped the floor with a noble, barely a day after having been summoned...by the way, you didn't need to knock poor Flame out..." Pouting playfully, she stood up, slowly moving towards Nathan, her hips swaying.

"Well, I don't react too well when someone tries to subdue me, you know...I prefer to stay in control, thank you very mu-" Cut off once more, this time by Kirche's hot, red lips, he involuntarily wrapped his arms around the seventeen year old girl as she kissed him hungrily for a few seconds, before he broke the kiss, holding her now as she had rested her body in his arms.

Looking around, he did the first best thing, moving towards the bed with the aroused young lady, carefully putting her down, which proved to be a mistake, as Kirche used this moment to not only wrap her arms, but also her legs around Nathans waist, pulling him down towards the bed, too.

Caught for the moment, he sighed as he looked deep into Kirche's eyes, his right hand running through her long, red hair, over her face, until his fingertips stopped at Kirche's left temple, softly whispering two words into Kirche's ear, just as her body freezes. "Command: Immobility."

Lexicanum Technicae

Nanotech Boost System

A set of nanotechnical augmentations, civilian versions usually consist of accelerated healing, filters against toxins and chemical agents, while military suites have more advanced versions of the civilian versions, in addition to improved reflexes, small, cerebral implants acting as battle computers, in most cases also improved motoric control or strength. Usually controlled by an external computer embedded into a soldier's armor, to work in tandem with the armor's sensors and servo systems, they can be activated with mental commands, however, this activation time is limited.

Lexicanum Psionica

Command: Immobility

A psionically implanted so-called 'absolute order'. Developed by EarthForce, the 'Command' type psionic orders are usually employed for law enforcement, but also by assassins.

Unlike normal psionic restraints, a Command uses the target's own neural impulses and nerves to create the effect, however, unlike a normal restraint, the Command is only effective on targets that aren't expecting this attack.

While a conventional restraint needs to be maintained by the Psionic that used it, a Command is maintained as long as the target doesn't get released from it by any Psionic.

Command: Immobility forces the target to lose all motoric control, instead of paralysis, which would leave the muscles frozen, however, the target is just unable to move.

Closing words:

Since 'Kirche' in German means 'church', I allowed myself a little bit of fun.

Kathedrale → Cathedral, Kapelle → Chapel

Also, in b4 outcries of 'rapist' in 10,9,8...


End file.
